Shattered Bonds
by Sheherazaad
Summary: After a mission gone awry Pidge is badly injured. Shiro can't help but notice how much Pidge looks like Matt. His unresolved feelings and guilt push him to seek a bond with Pidge. What happens when Pidge encourages this bond to try and convince Shiro to leave Voltron and help her search for her family? What will happen to the universe now?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Shiro is 25 years old and Pidge is 14 years old in this story. This might make some people uncomfortable, which it should but please stick with me. Also there might be a hint of Klance too. This story is probably going to push that T rating pretty hard. But please let me know if it's too much and I'll change the rating to M.**

The plan was simple but the execution not so much. They would sneak aboard the central communications ship, plant explosives and disable the communications grid for that sector of space. That would give them time to complete their interplanetary missions without the constant threat of Galra patrol ships detecting them. They would sneak aboard the Galra ship using the green lion's cloaking ability. The 5 paladins boarded the ship and headed straight for the bridge. A heavy fire fight with Galra droids ensued resulting in Lance being injured. Keith carried Lance back to the green lion with Hunk providing cover fire. Pidge and Shiro got to the control console and Pidge started deactivating the communications grid while Shiro guarded the door fighting off the droids. They didn't have much time before the explosives were set to detonate. Pidge discovered that the ship had more than she bargained for when she discovered maps detailing the locations of other communication ships and even other Galra outposts that could be bases or even colonies. Possibly even prison colonies? But the download was taking too long from the control panel she needed to get to the server room. She put the co-ordinates for the room into Rover but time was up and they needed to go.

Shiro went ahead clearing a path while Pidge ran up behind him. Along the way Pidge passed a corridor that turned off from the main one she was currently in. Rover was beeping, letting her know that she was close to the server room. Looking back at Shiro Pidge decided that it would only take one minute to get what she needed from the room and then she'd head right back to the green lion. They probably never know she was gone. She couldn't miss this chance to find Matt and her dad. Rover opened the door and Pidge connected to the servers in there and started downloading the data sending it directly to the Castle of Lions. The first of the planted explosives went off in the distance knocking Pidge off balance setting her on high alert. Suddenly the door slid open and the Galra droids entered looking for the intruders. The server room had rows of server banks that offered a little bit of cover as Pidge crawled into the back corner underneath the control panel trying to hide. Pidge was breathing hard hoping that they'd not look too closely at the control panel that Rover was still plugged into. He was deactivated but still sitting the panel. Abruptly Pidge felt a strong grip on her leg. She was caught and the droid dragged her out from her hiding place.

In a way she was lucky, the droids couldn't use their laser blasters inside the server room for fear of damaging the ships server banks but that didn't stop them from physically attacking her. She tried to fight back but it was 3 on 1 in a confined space, she couldn't depend on her speed and agility. She was badly injured, bleeding heavily and quickly losing consciousness when she heard Shiro calling her name. A second explosion went off followed by Shiro bursting through the doors. He easily fought and destroyed the droids that were attacking Pidge. He lifted the beaten body of the green paladin into his arms. "Stay with me Katie!" Shiro pleaded as her rushed her back to her lion. "Please don't leave me" was the last words Pidge heard before the blackness consumed her vision.

It had been 4 days since Pidge was placed in the healing pod alongside Lance. Lance had only spent a day in the pod recovering from a laser blast to his shoulder and some minor bruising. He was sure the bruising was from Keith dropping him during the escape Keith denied it. Pidge's injuries were more severe. A concussion, multiple broken ribs, internal bleeding and a fractured cheekbone on her left side of her face with a matching black eye. She looked like she had gone 10 rounds in a boxing ring when Shiro first brought her limp body into the Castle of lions. Allura was visibly shocked by Pidge's appearance and Shiro was emotionally devastated. It was his job to keep her safe and he had failed miserably. The other paladins took turns visiting her in the healing pod during the day and Shiro kept nightly vigils beside her pod waiting for her to wake up. Seeing Pidge's sleeping form in the healing pod did little to ease Shiro's nightmares. One in particular was the day Matt was due to fight in the Galra gladiatorial arena. Matt was terrified knowing he could never survive the fight. Shiro did the only thing he could think off. During the prisoner transfer he grabbed a weapon an attacked Matt wounding him. There was not time to explain his actions, to everyone including Matt it looked like Shiro had lost his mind flying into a blind range. Matt had no time to react. He did not even flinch. Shiro was someone he trusted with his life and the only one he trusted with his body and his heart. The look of hurt, confusion and betrayal was the last expression Shiro saw on Matt's face. It cut him deeply, like a wound to his soul and with that agony he went on to fight his opponent in the arena. He took his pain, anguish and frustration out in battle. He had never been so vicious or so brutal in a fight before. The Galra approved and cheered him on. He was crowned their champion. Shiro had blood on his hands and he would never be the same again.

Pidge emerged from the healing pod dazed, confused and hungry. Coran's green food goop wasn't particularly appetising but with Hunk's help it was at least palatable. With her legs crossed in the chair in the dining area Pidge ate he goop eagerly. She was still in the process of asking Coran how much data she had managed to send from the Galra ship before she was caught when Shiro stormed in. He had given himself some time to calm down before confronting her to reprimand her for her reckless actions. He thought he was calmer but seeing her act so nonchalantly, like this was no big deal, sent him over the edge. Shiro was known to be a cool headed leader but there was only so much he could take. "Pidge! What the hell were you thinking back there? You disobeyed a direct order. You jeopardised our entire team!" Pidge stood from the seat and stomped defiantly towards Shiro "I saw an opportunity and I took it. When would we get a chance to get that intel again? Star charts of the colonies, locations of other communication ships, we need that…" She pleaded for Shiro to see the logic in her actions. "We're supposed to be a team Pidge. You can't make that call on your own. What if you got captured? You almost got yourself killed!"

Shiro refused to back down. Why couldn't Katie understand her life was more important than the mission. "I can handle myself. I would have thought of a way out eventually" Pidge spoke defiantly. Lance tried to interject but Keith stopped him. This was between Shiro and Pidge. Shiro was the leader and he needed Pidge to understand that. "If you could handle yourself I wouldn't have had to fight 3 Galra droids off you and had to carry you bleeding and unconscious back to your lion. You spent 4 days in a healing pod!" Shiro slammed his fist on the table. "It was a calculated risk, if I could just find a map of the colonies, maybe I could find the colony my brother and father were sent to. They must be waiting for me to save them. Who knows they could be hurt or dying. I need to save them; I need to at least try…" Shiro's face dropped. Of course Pidge would risk it all for her family. Right then the truth that he had been trying to push out of his mind had clawed its way back up. With her hair short and glasses on Katie looked just like a younger version of Matt. She was a constant reminder of his lost love. He had left him and his father behind. He too should be risking his life to save them. But the universe came first. Voltron needed to gather allies so they could take the fight to Zarkon and Voltron needed 5 paladins to do this. He couldn't be selfish. Pidge would just have to understand.

Allura sensing the tension ordered the paladins back to their rooms to rest. "It's been a draining past few days. We all need to gather our strength. We'll regroup in the morning when we've all had a good night's rest." Shiro left first followed by Keith and Lance who were heading for the training deck to spar. Allura and Coran went to the bridge to compare the Galra star maps to their own leaving Hunk and Pidge in the dining area. Hunk spoke first "You probably don't want to hear this but you were pretty beat up when Shiro rescued you. Most of your ribs were broken and you looked like hell." Pidge was starting to feel a little guilty. "I've never seen Shiro lose his cool like that. I think he was genuinely freaked out about it. You should cut him some slack and may apologise to him." Hunk was right as usual. Pidge needed to apologise to Shiro but she would first give him a little time to cool off.

It has already been two hours since everyone was sent to their rooms. Pidge had been pacing for a while trying to come up with a suitable apology. She still wasn't sure what she'd say but she knew she had to say something right now before her courage fled her. Pidge walked over to Shiro's room, took a deep breath and knocked on the door. A minute went by with no answer. Shiro was probably asleep Pidge reasoned. She was about to walk away when the door slid open. Shiro was surprised to see Pidge at his door but invited her in anyway. This was awkward but Pidge had to say her piece "Before you say anything I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I should have listened to you and not gone off on my own." Pidge was nervously wringing her hands, mentally preparing herself to get yelled at again. "That's OK Katie, I'm sorry too. I understand why you want to do whatever it takes to get Matt and your dad back but they wouldn't want you to get hurt or captured in the process." Pidge overwhelmed with emotions hugged Shiro and he offered her a seat on his bed. "While we were on the Kerberos mission Matt and your dad, Sam spoke of you a lot. Especially Matt, he said you were probably the smartest person he knew and the two of you were fiercely competitive. He loved you, you know. They both did. I know it doesn't feel like much but I promise we'll get them back. Once we gather our forces, we'll defeat Zarkon and free all the prisoners." He had subconsciously started stoking Pidge's hair. It was something he used to do with Matt when his anxiety was getting the better of him. It seemed to have the same effect on Pidge calming her down. She leaned back against the wall behind the bed.

She was exhausted from her time in the healing pod and from fighting with Shiro. She spoke softly trying to fight the strong desire to fall asleep right there. "I wanted to go with you guys on the Kerberos mission. I wanted to see the stars and I wanted Matt and my dad to see me as good enough to stand beside them…" Katie had drifted off. Shiro lay her head down on the pillow as she slept. Her breathing was shallow but steady and he couldn't help but stare. She looked like a tiny Matt. He imagined that at 14 years old Matt would probably looked like her identical twin. His mind wondered to a place it often did, to Matt. Was he safe or even alive? Did he think that Shiro had abandoned him? Did he hate him now? He didn't think he could go on living knowing that Matt hated him. After all they had been through to be together. Could fate be so cruel as to separate them like this? If one could die from an aching heart Shiro was sure it would feel like this. He lay alongside Pidge on the bed, praying that sleep would come soon and the nightmares would stay away. He just needed one night of peace and a little respite from his troubles.


	2. Chapter 2

Saturday mornings were Shiro's favourite time of the week. One of the perks of being a faculty member at the Garrison was off base accommodation. His apartment wasn't much to look at, just a one bedroom place in a slightly run down building but it was infinitely better than living in the Garrison's barracks. At least he had some privacy. Matt was still a cadet when they started dating. As a senior cadet he had weekend leave privileges. Most of the other students used theirs to go home to their families or go partying with friends who lived near the base. No-one asked too many questions, so on Friday nights he'd pack a bag and head off to Shiro's place.

Their relationship was taboo on so many levels. Shiro was a flight instructor and Matt was a student on the science track. They never really met except during mission simulator training, but it was still considered an improper relationship and Shiro could get suspended for fraternization even if Matt was legally an adult. The other issue was that they were both men. Even though humanity was now a space faring species some of the old ways were yet to change especially in the Garrison. In the past they used a "Don't ask, don't tell" policy where you could be gay but not openly so. The discrimination was more insidious these days consisting mostly of whispers, rumours and shunning of openly gay cadets. Shiro never wanted that for Matt. He could physically defend himself but Matt was already a target for being too smart and not fitting into the macho culture of the Garrison. They both agreed that they would keep their relationship a secret until after graduation and until Matt could tell his family about his sexual orientation. It was only right to tell them first before the news became public knowledge.

But none of that mattered now it was Saturday morning; they were sleeping in and soaking in the warmth of each other's bodies and the early morning sunshine. Shiro wrapped his arms tightly around the smaller man's body. Pulling their bodies together and nuzzling his face in the nape of Matt's neck. It was so warm and so comforting. He wished they could stay like this forever. He planted a kiss on the crook of Matt's neck and sighed his name, "Hmmm…Matt…" He had not fully opened his eyes when he felt Matt pushing him away. "Matt, baby…" he questioned sleepily, as Matt started thrashing about wildly trying to escape the powerful grip of his arms. Shiro thought Matt might be having a nightmare. "Shiro, Shiro!" the voice called out frantically. A sudden realization struck Shiro. He wasn't in his apartment he was in his room in the Castle of Lions. The body in his arms was too small to be Matt's, the voice too high pitched. He opened his eyes to a manic Pidge trying to escape the grasp of his Galra tech arm. He let go of her as if he had just been scalded by her touch and she tumbled out of his bed.

Her eyes were wide with surprise and Shiro stammered out an apology. "I'm sorry Katie, I must have been having a dream…are you okay, I didn't hurt you did I?" Pidge shook her head "I'm okay. I'm sorry for disturbing you last night. I'm just going to go now" She practically bolted out of the room. Shiro wanted to call out to her but he didn't. What would he say to her, how could he explain why he acted that way with her? Maybe it was better that she had run out. Shiro sat back down on the crumpled be sheets with his head in his hands. Despite the rude awakening and the awkward moment with Pidge, that was still the best night's sleep he'd had in a long time. It was probably the first time since his memories returned that he had a good dream about Matt. He didn't think it was possible but he missed him more than ever before.

Pidge avoided Shiro for the rest of the day which was more than a little awkward for everyone but at least they didn't notice that Shiro couldn't even look Pidge in the eye. The others assumed the two paladins were still at odds with each other over the previous day's argument. After breakfast it was time for the chore roster. Coran had very quickly realised that taking care of the five paladins and princess Allura was too much for him to handle alone. So a roster was drawn up. Each day a different pair was assigned to clean the common areas and each paladin would be responsible for cleaning their own rooms. Lance and Keith were paired together much to their annoyance and Coran's amusement. Pidge and Hunk were the next team, followed by Shiro on his own and Coran with princess Allura. The paladins were extra careful to leave the communal spaces tidy when it was Shiro's turn to clean and Coran did most of the actual work while the princess hung out with her little mouse friends. It was Lance and Keith's turn today and they bickered all the way to the kitchen. Pidge invited Hunk to the training deck to practice her hand to hand combat skills under his supervision. Hunk wasn't surprised after what happened with the Galra droids Pidge would want to improve her skills and regain a little confidence. He was however surprised that Pidge had asked him instead of Shiro. Shiro was the best at hand to hand combat, hell with his Galra arm he was practically unstoppable but the look Pidge gave him made him feel like the two still hadn't made up yet.

On the training deck Hunk was giving Pidge pointers as she fought a training robot. Pidge was quick and the grappling function of her Bayard meant that she had quickly subdued the robot. "That's great Pidge! do you want to try again with two robots this time?" "Sure" Pidge responded "but first I have a question to ask you…" "Fire away" Hunk replied. "This is kind of awkward but…what does it mean when a guy moans another guy's name?" Hunk's mouth just hung open for a few seconds while Pidge looked at him earnestly. "Oh my God! I'm so sorry you heard that. I told Keith and Lance a dozen times to keep it down. You see sometimes when two people like each other…I know it doesn't always look that way but they do like each other at least I think they do…" Hunk's voice was trailing off while he rubbed the back of his head. Pidge looked at him confused by his rambling. "I didn't mean them" She spoke in a hushed tone. "Who else could you mean?" Hunk asked. "I'm talking about Shiro, Shiro kept repeating my brother, Matt's name in his sleep" Hunk thought about it for a moment. "Well that's a little different. They were on the Kerberos mission together right? Maybe Shiro was having a dream about the mission or about when they were captured along with your dad." Hunk didn't ask why Pidge was in Shiro's room while he was sleeping. Pidge could hack any door in the Castle so it wasn't a crazy idea that she could have just let herself in. Strange, but not implausible. Pidge considered Hunk's possible explanation. It made sense logically but it still didn't explain why he held her like that and kissed her. It felt intimate, definitely more than skinship between teammates or even close friends. She couldn't be sure until she spoke to Shiro again. She wanted answers that only he or Matt could give and Matt wasn't here. She resolved to go to Shiro's room later that night to talk and figure out what happened, between the two of them and between him and Matt.

Shiro was going through his usual night routine. He would work out until he was exhausted, take a shower and pass out in bed. Exercise usually relaxed him and helped him clear his mind but not tonight. The entire day had been uncomfortable. Pidge was avoiding him. She stuck by Hunk's side all day give him little opportunity to speak with her in private. Had she told Hunk he wondered. Most likely not or he was sure the yellow paladin would have kicked his door down and confronted him by now. Shiro was painfully aware how many lines he had crossed. He had inappropriately touched the youngest member of his team. Despite the circumstances that they found themselves in; as paladins of Voltron tasked with defending the universe; Pidge was only 14 years old and his boyfriend's younger sister. What would Matt think of him if he knew? The thought made him sick to his stomach. It was genuinely an accident but he needed to apologise sincerely and accept responsibility. As soon as he got the chance he would speak to Pidge again and explain his actions more clearly. He didn't want her to be afraid of him or worry that something like that might happen again. If she was still unhappy he would encourage her to speak to Allura. That could result in him losing his command but it was the right thing to do for Pidge's sake. His mind and his heart were too clouded with guilt to continue exercising so he grabbed his gear to take a shower before bed. He was interrupted by a knock on the door. It was quite late and he was sure everyone was in bed by now. Opening his door he was once again face to face with Pidge. He invited her inside, placing his shower thing on the table. Pidge meekly stepped inside and sat down on the bed. "We need to talk about this morning…" Shiro started.

"Pidge, Katie I'm very sorry." Shiro pulled a chair from the desk in the corner and placed it next to the bed. He wanted to sit closer to her without spooking her. "I never meant to touch you like that. No one should do that without your permission. It was an accident and I hope that you can forgive me. It will never happen again so please don't avoid me. Please don't be afraid of me…" His shoulders slumped forward with his elbows on his thighs. He lowered his head in contrition. This was all he could say the rest would be up to Pidge. Pidge reached out for his human hand and squeezed it lightly. "I understand." Pidge responded. "I'm not afraid of you. It's just when I woke up and felt the metal of your arm against me; it took me back to that mission and the Galra droids attacking me. I panicked and then you wouldn't let go…" Pidge's voice wavered a little. "But once I realized it was you, it was okay. I wasn't afraid anymore, but you were still asleep and then you pushed your…body against me and kissed me. That was confusing". Pidge's face went a little pink but the look on Shiro's face couldn't hide the fact that he was mortified. He was going to hell for sure, if the other paladins ever found out they'd send him there themselves. "But that's not what's been bothering me all day. While you were sleeping you said Matt's name, more than once and the way you said it…I just want to know…what was Matt to you?"

Shiro leaned back into the chair letting go of Pidge's hand. This turn in the conversation was something he wasn't expecting. What should he say? This was a talk Matt should have had with her himself but he wasn't here now. Shiro didn't want to lie to Katie not when he was trying to regain her trust. He didn't have much time to think about this. The silence hung heavily in the air between them. Shiro decided he would answer her truthfully but leave out any details that weren't relevant or were too personal. He ran his hand over his face and through his tuft of white hair. Finally Shiro replied "We were in a relationship". "Like friends or more?" Pidge asked. "We were dating". "Wait, what?" She blinked and shook her head. "So…you, you like guys and Matt, he likes guys too? And you two like each other?" Pidge expressed her disbelief. Sure, her brother never really talked about girls but that's no something you talked about with your little sister. But he never said anything about being gay. "Did my dad know?" was her next question. "No, Sam didn't know. We were going to tell him after the Kerberos Mission. I wanted him to get to know me first as a person before finding out I was seeing his son. I didn't want him to think of me as just some older guy taking advantage of Matt." Shiro hadn't meant to add the last part but it was the first time that he had expressed those feelings in so long they just sort of rushed out. "I loved Matt…I mean I still love him. I want you to know that." All of this was a lot for her to take in. She herself was no stranger to secrets. Pidge Gunderson doesn't even exist. She falsified documents to gain admission to the Garrison base after she was banned for trespassing. She even hid her gender for over a year to avoid suspicion. She couldn't fault Shiro or Matt for their secrets without taking responsibility for her own. She wished Matt was here. She wanted to hear it from him too, that he loved Shiro back. That would make all of this les weird. "So…what are you thinking?" Shiro dared himself to ask. If this went badly Matt would be crushed, he and Katie were extremely close. It would also affect their relationship and the entire team Voltron. Pidge swallowed her uncertainty. "I love Matt and nothing will ever change that. I wish he felt comfortable enough to tell me earlier but that doesn't matter now. I care about you too Shiro, you're someone I respect and admire. When we rescue Matt and my dad, just know that both of you have my full support." She moved closer to hug him and he did the same. An important person in Matt's life had accepted their relationship.

He held her close for a moment when out of the blue Pidge sniffed him. "I think you could use a shower" she laughed as she scrunched up her nose. "I was on my way to get one when you showed up" Shiro retorted. She pushed him away playfully. "Okay, okay I'm going now". He grabbed his shower things off the table. "You can close the door behind you when you leave. Goodnight Katie." Shiro exited the room and Pidge flopped backwards onto the bed. She laid there staring at the ceiling. "Shiro and Matt, Matt and Shiro" It was still hard for her to believe. She tried to imagine them together but it quickly turned into Shiro in a tuxedo and Matt in a wedding dress. The thought made her laugh out loud. Maybe they'd get married one day but Matt probably wouldn't wear a dress. She was getting sleepy again. Maybe it was something about being in Shiro's room. She felt safe here, safer even than her own room. He had rescued her from the Galra droids and he worried about her feelings. A brand new thought formed in her mind. What if she and Shiro teamed up to rescue her family? She had the tech know-how and the stealth mode Lion to get them onto another Galra ship. Shiro was a warrior, a one man army with his Galra tech arm and he could unlock doors just as easily as Rover. And the number one reason it could work is that they both had a person that they loved; albeit in different ways, whose life was on the line. Shiro and she would be "Team Matt". It was a silly name she thought to herself as sleep finally claimed her.

Shiro returned to his room after his shower. He was wearing grey sweatpants and a white t-shirt with a towel slung over one shoulder. He was exhausted and looking forward to his bed. His door slid open and fast asleep on his bed was Katie. Her t-shirt had pulled up slightly exposing her stomach. He covered her with a blanket and made sure to tuck her in. He then lay next to her, this time on top of the blankets. The last thing he wanted was a repeat of the previous morning's events. He probably should have woken her up and sent he back to her own room but she was sleeping so peacefully. It reassured him that she had forgiven him and she definitely wasn't afraid of him. She wouldn't have stayed if she was. He also didn't mind sharing his bed with her. She didn't take up much space and after all she did look a lot like Matt.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N Hi there. It's been a while hasn't it. I just want to let you know that I haven't abandoned this story and will be trying to get chapters up more regularly from now on. Thanks for reading the last two chapters and now back to the story.**

"I have great news" Coran announced. "All our hard work these past few months has paid off and we are one step away from securing a new supply route for the resistance." The paladins cheered as the Princess brought the star charts up on the monitor. "The final hurdle is to free this last planet in the quadrant. There is a small Galra outpost here near the equator of the planet. We believe it is simply a sentry post and not heavily fortified but we have no way of knowing for sure. Its atmospheric conditions make it hard for us to scan it from a safe distance using the Castle of Lions and dropping into a lower orbit might attract their attention. If they spot us and call for help we will have a full scale battle on our hands." Coran agreed and continued "Our best strategy would be to send a recognisance team first to scout the area and check if there are any sub-surface weapon systems we should be aware of." Shiro volunteered "I'll head up the team, I think the lions might be to conspicuous so a small shuttle craft is a safer option. The intel says that there is a trading city near the outpost which gets a lot of off-world traffic. We can slip in there disguised as travellers looking for supplies. We need to keep as low keys as possible, so a two man team is all we need. Hey Pidge are you feeling up for a little undercover mission?"

The remaining Paladins as well as the Alteans were surprised by Shiro's choice. Keith spoke up "Are you sure Pidge is a good choice? No offense but it might be best to take a combat specialist like me or Hunk, heck even Lance along in case things go bad." Pidge was excited at being chosen by Shiro but Keith's reaction took the wind out of her sails. He was right she was the weakest combat wise but that still didn't mean she couldn't do missions too. Shiro responded before she could. "This is just a recon mission. I need a tech expert on the ground to calibrate the scanners if need be. If things get rough, I'll handle it. Pidge is a paladin of Voltron she can handle this just fine." "Yeah Keith, you're not the only one with a Bayard." Pidge responded sarcastically rolling her eyes followed by playful prodding by Lance "Yeah Keith, you can't under estimate Pidge just cause she's a girl". Keith retorted "Shut up Lance, you didn't even know she was a girl until you got here. Didn't you live together at the Garrison?". The blue and red paladin went off bickering with each other as usual and Hunk and Pidge went off to get the shuttle ready. Shiro stayed to plot a course with Coran and the Princess. It was settled they would leave in 2 days.

That wasn't much time to prepare but Pidge and Hunk had been working on this little side project for a while. It was a portable version of the cloaking device found in the Green Lion. Hunk had reverse-engineered it using parts he "found" around the castle and Pidge had hot-wired it into the shuttles shield system. If everything worked like it was supposed to they would be able to engage the cloaking system whenever the shield went up. Theoretically it should work but they hadn't actually got around to testing it in space conditions yet.

Coran provided their disguises mainly ponchos, googles and scarves to protect them from the dust storms on the planet's surface. Pidge thought they looked like cowboys in a Western, Lance agreed and Hunk thought they looked more like space pirates while Keith grumbled in the corner. He was still uneasy about Shiro's choice of partner. Lately Shiro had been acting differently. He was still the same performing all his duties as leader but in his down time he always seemed busy. Too busy for a late night sparring session or just to talk. He spent all his spare time with Pidge. Understandably she was the youngest, her family was captured by the Galra and she needed his support. But so did he, for the longest time he was alone trying to find out what his place was in the world. Now he had a team, he had a mission and he had rival (whatever that meant) but Shiro still seemed distant from him. Hunk called Shiro our space Dad and Keith thought the moniker fit him well. Maybe he was just a little jealous that Shiro seemed to favour Pidge over him. "A leader shouldn't play favourites" he thought to himself.

Pidge was over the moon when the portable cloaking device worked. Well, it sort of worked. The ship was cloaked but the diffraction was off so instead of being totally invisible they were still faintly visible with a strange distortion of the surrounding environment. Lucky for them they landed during a sandstorm which covered them completely. The shuttle set down behind a large building that must have been used as a warehouse of some kind. The two paladins set off into the market area to scout for the presence of Galra soldiers patrolling amongst the general populace. It had been an hour or so and Shiro hadn't spotted anything suspicious yet. Pidge had given up looking after 20 minutes and was more focused on the sights, sounds and smells of the market. She wondered just a few paces ahead of Shiro peaking at the stands laden with strange looking orbs that some of the patrons were tasting, maybe it was a fruit or vegetable of some kind. "Hunk would love to have some of those, I'll be sure to get some before we go back" she thought. Shiro was beginning to relax as well. They would do one more sweep of the central area before heading to the outskirts. Pidge tugged on his cloak and gestured to an alley that was lined with junk stores. Old, dusty looking components sat on the tables under the eagle eye of the shop keepers. Pidge couldn't contain her excitement as she dashed from table to table. Her curiosity and infectious smile warmed Shiro's heart. Matt would have loved this place too, there were dozens of different alien races, so many languages and things to look at. This was the kind of exploration they thought they would be doing if they made first contact on the Kerberos mission.

He had to be strong for Katie but he would be lying if he said he hadn't considered the likelihood of Matt and Sam still being alive after all this time in a prison colony; if they made it that far. Galra tempers were short and Matt would attempt to resist no matter how futile it would be. That was just the type of person he was; kind, brave and foolish. Shiro bumped into Pidge who had stopped walking to look at a poster in the dark corner of the alley. He scanned it with the translator in his googles. It was a notice of a slave auction. Shiro placed his hand on Pidges shoulder, it was an unfortunate reality that something like this was still common on planets ruled by the Galra empire. They held little value on other species and treated them like commodities. When the war was over Voltron would change things, they would bring freedom and peace for all with their alliance. He expected to see sadness or disappointment in Pidges face but instead he saw her smile brightly. "Shiro, look!" she pointed to the last few lines on the poster. "High Quality Merchandise. Strong and Fit. Galra Prison Colony Excess."

The auction was set to take place after dark in a shady looking bar not far from the market. "We have to go. My family could be there or at least someone who might know them" Pidge implored. Shiro couldn't argue with her logic, they were supposed to return to the Castle of Lions by nightfall but they couldn't miss this opportunity. "Fine but if we don't see anything we're heading right back to the shuttle, I'll send a message to Coran and the Princess that we'll be staying overnight and returning tomorrow." They entered the bar and found seating in the back, away from the impromptu stage that was setup for the auction. As the auction started the slaves were lead out on stage wearing the familiar purple Galra prison garb and manacles on their wrists. "They're not here." Pidge said dejectedly. Shiro scrutinized each prisoner, searching his memory. One slave did look familiar, was he the same alien that was with their group when they were brought to the arena? It was possible that they were just from the same planet, he couldn't be sure. "I think I've seen that guy before" Shiro whispered to Pidge. "Really? We need the talk to him then but how can we get close without blowing our cover" Pidge was right, talking to the captive wasn't possible and they needed a better plan. "If only we could get a closer look at the slave traders ship it might have clues about which prison colony it came from." Shiro was only thinking out loud but Pidge's facial expression was brightening up. "We could follow them back to the ship and sneak aboard. How hard could it be, it not like they're soldiers or anything. The two of us can handle this."

The auction was over and the slaves that weren't sold were escorted back to the ship by two of the crew while the rest of them stayed behind to spend some of their earnings at the bar. Pidge dragged Shiro out of the bar by the hand and after the slave traders that just left. "Katie, this could be dangerous. We're only supposed to be observing not engaging." Through her binoculars Pidge could see only the two crew member loading the slaves and stowing them in a cell in the hold with the rest of the cargo when suddenly they both just hopped into their cruiser and left; probably to join the rest of their crew celebrating at the bar. "Shiro, now is our chance we can get on board and hack into the ship's computer and download its manifest and star maps. We'll be in and out before they get back and we can free those slaves too. Please Shiro we can't just leave them there." This was a terrible idea but how could he say no to Katie as they were both desperate to find Matt and her father. Pidge checked if the coast was clear and rushed towards the ship. She knew Shiro would follow her. He would probably chew her out again when they got back to the Castle but she didn't have time to debate this, right now they needed to act.

Pidge ran up to the ancillary door of the ship and placed a small device on its surface where it expanded in size. It made a strange whooshing sound and then fell off revealing a neat hole right through the door just big enough for them both to squeeze through. "Were did you get that Katie?" Shiro asked worryingly. Pidge responded gingerly ignoring the disapproval in Shiro's tone "I picked it up…from the market earlier, it's a laser cutting charge. They use it for mining or something. But never mind where it came from, it worked didn't it." Shiro just shook his head, they would have a good long talk about stealing things when they got back to the Castle. He charged his Galra tech arm as they both climbed inside the ship and search for the right corridor that would lead them to the bridge. On the bridge Pidge quickly opened the display panel and started attaching the device that would unlock the ships computer logs and allow her the download files from it when suddenly the display went red. In fact, all the displays went red and outside the bridge closed by itself. A timer had started and the display was asking for a password. "Shit, shit, shit" Pidge muttered under her breath, the were trapped and the timer was counting down. Shiro tried to use his hand to cut through the door but it was reinforced and wouldn't budge at all, while Pidge tried to crack the security system before the counter stopped. As the last few seconds ticked by the paladins turn to each other unsure what would happen next. When the counter reached zero the floor charged with high voltage electrical energy rendering both of them unconscious on the floor of the bridge.

Shiro awoke first to find himself locked up in a cell and bound by the same manacles he had seen on the slaves at the auction earlier. He struggled against them, trying to charge his Galra tech arm but it was unresponsive and hung like dead weight at his side. His eyes scanned the immediate surroundings. Where was Katie? His eyes darted around the room until he found her bound and crumpled in a heap in the corner of the cell. She didn't appear to be injured but she was still unconscious. What happened on the bridge? He felt the persistence thrum of engines and concluded that they were currently in transit though without a window for reference he wasn't sure if they were still on the planet. Their disguises had been removed by their captors and well as their communications devices. They were captured by slave traders. This was bad, this was very bad. He needed to find a way to escape before either of them were sold off.

"It's him, I tell you…the Champion. I'd recognise him anywhere. I've been to the arena myself and seen him live. Don't let his appearance fool you he's a cold-blooded killer. We'd better make sure those energy disrupting restraints stay on tight or we're as good as dead" The captain told his first mate. The first mate rolled his eyes "Are you sure captain, what would the Champion be doing stealing our crummy ship, no offense but it's not exactly an elite class ship." The irked the captain "Shut up, it doesn't matter what he was doing here all that matters is that he's worth twice his weight in GAC. I'll sell him back to the Arena and make sure they throw some premium seats in the deal too." Shiro sat quietly in his cell overhearing the entire conversation. This was terrible, they knew who he was and they wanted to sell him back to the arena. He'd rather die than go back. "Ooh you're awake Champion, it's an honour to meet you. I'm the Captain of this fine vessel." Shiro struggled against his restraints. "Let. Me. Go!" he roared, the panic was getting to him. "No can do Champion. I'm going to take you back where you belong and you're going to make me a very wealthy man." The captain chuckled. "Hey captain, what are we going to do with the child." The first mate asked as he pointed to Pidge. "I'm not sure, it's too small to work and too scrawny to fight. Maybe I can convince someone to buy it as a pet at the next auction. If it's too much of an effort, we can just throw it out the air lock. I'm not feeding anyone that's not going to make me money." The captain's nonchalance about Pidge's life was too much for Shiro to hear. "I'm begging you, please don't hurt her" Shiro pleaded. "Why do you care, Champion. Is this youngling yours?" the first mate queried. "She's my partner, she's important to me and I won't fight without her with me." Shiro hope this would convince them to keep them together. A champion that won't fight wouldn't be worth much he reckoned. The Captain and the first mate looked at each other puzzled until the Captain exclaimed, "Its female, so it must be your mate right, which is why you don't want to be apart! I understand now. But why would you choose this one, its rather frail looking?" Pidge was starting to regain consciousness and was looking around the cell at Shiro and the two men on the other side of the cell. The first mate turned to the captain and added "I've only ever seen male Earthians until now, so maybe there aren't very many of them or they are hard to distinguish from the males." "Either way, we'll keep the two of you together Champion, if you promise not to give us any trouble until we arrive at our destination. You should save that fighting spirit for the arena." And with those final words the captain and first mate left the holding are leave Shiro and a bewildered Pidge alone in the dimly lit cell to contemplate their fate.


	4. Chapter 4

Keith was anxiously pacing around the dining area where he and the other paladins had gathered to have dinner. "They should have been back by now. It shouldn't take them this long to complete the mission." Keith voiced his concern. Lance placed a hand on Keith's arm to stop him from pacing. "You heard Coran, Shiro sent a message saying they needed more time and they be back later. We have to wait a little longer before we start freaking out." His attempt to soothe Keith only seemed to make him angrier. "He should have taken me along too instead of just Pidge. I didn't make sense to take her only. What if they get into trouble?" Keith's ranting was getting a little too much for Hunk. "Maybe it makes perfect sense to take Pidge alone…if he wanted to be with Pidge…alone." Hunk said the last part a little quieter than the rest. He promised himself he wouldn't get involved in the relationship stuff going on in the Castle. "Hunk, buddy… what do you know that you're not telling us?" Lance's curiosity was piqued by Hunks words. "I'm just saying if they wanted to go on a date, not that this was like a date. I'm just saying that if it was, they probably wouldn't want a lot of people around that's all". Hunk was rambling, he really didn't want to talk about it but he also didn't want to go on a rescue mission to find the two of them if they weren't in trouble. "Shiro and Pidge? No freaking way" Lance shook his head. "You must be mistaken" Keith added. "I'm not. I've seen them, I mean I haven't "seen" together but I did see Pidge leaving Shiro's room in the middle of the night while I was on my way to get a snack from the kitchen. She looked like she had been sleeping. I can't be 100% sure, but she was wearing PJ's and her hair was all mussed up." Hunk was disappointed the others didn't believe him. "One time doesn't mean anything" was Keith's only response. "It was more than once. I tried to ignore it like I do other night time activities that go on around here but I'm definitely not mistaken" Hunk's words made Lance blush a little. "He has been spending a lot of time with her lately, you said so yourself" Lance mentioned. "She also told me that Shiro was having nightmares about the Kerberos Mission, she couldn't have known that if she wasn't there when he was having them." Hunk felt bad for betraying Pidge's confidence but it was better if the others knew as well. It was so difficult keeping secrets for a straight forward guy like himself, he didn't like to watch what he said or worry that he'd say the wrong thing.

Lance could sense Keith anger building. "They'll be back in a few hours I'm sure of it and then we can all have a nice calm talk about things. Okay?" "There's nothing to talk about, Lance. It's wrong for them to be together. Shiro's an adult and Pidge's just a kid. Have you forgotten that she's younger than all of us? Shiro is our leader, he's supposed to know better than us. He should know how messed up this is." Keith was yelling now. Coran and Allura rushed into the room wondering what the commotion was about. "They have four hours, if they're not back by then I'm taking Red and going to get them myself" and with that he stormed out of the dining are past the confused Alteans.

Keith stormed all the way back to his room. He really wished he had a traditional door so he could slam it shut. His instincts had told him that something wasn't right when Shiro requested to overnight on the planet. He thought that Shiro might be attempting something dangerous on his own with only Pidge for back up. Nothing good could possibly happened after dark on what was supposed to be a simple recon mission. What in the world was going on with the team? Hunk's suspicion that Pidge and Shiro were having a secret relationship blindsided him. He was disappointed in Shiro. Regardless of which one of them initiated it, he was the adult in this situation and should have stopped things before they got out of hand. But what also bothered him was the fact that Hunk knew and never said anything. He was the closest to Pidge out of all of them. The sound on a soft knock on the door pulled him out of his thoughts. "Keith it's me Lance. Is it okay if I come in?" The automated door slid open and Lance walked in side and sat beside Keith on the bed. "Are you okay, you seemed the really mad back there. The others are worried about you; I'm worried about you." Lance held his hand. "I'm not fine, I'm worried and I'm angry. How could this be happening?" Keith didn't have to mask how he felt when he was around Lance. "Maybe they didn't want to make a big deal about it, like us" Lance offered. "But it's not like us. I'm only a little older than you. Shiro is maybe 10 years older than Pidge and he's the leader of our team. He commands us and we obey. There's a power dynamic there that puts Pidge at a disadvantage. Unlike you and I, who are on equal footing. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?" Keith needed Lance to understand that being with Shiro would hurt Pidge and the team in the long run. "I get what you're try to say, it might be hard for Pidge to say no to Shiro even if she wanted to." Lance understood to some degree, although he never saw Pidge as being the type of person to do anything she didn't want to do. She was stubborn when it can to doing things her way and the chain of command or even basic rules never really bothered her even back in their Garrison days.

"If they're not back soon I'm going to go look for them, and once they're safely back here we can talk about what's actually going on." Keith repeated what Lance had said earlier. "I'll go with you. You know I'll have you back… always." Lance wrapped his arms around Keith's waist, hugging his back and gave him a kiss on the cheek for emphasis. "Thanks I'm glad you're here." Lance was Keith's stability and he didn't know what he'd do without him by his side.

The fourth hour had passed and it was now the 2nd evening that Shiro and Pidge had been away. Keith had prepped the Red Lion for departure and Lance volunteered to accompany him. Coran and Allura were also starting to get concerned that neither Shiro nor Pidge had checked in since the previous day. They set co-ordinates for the last known position of the shuttle and headed down to the planet's surface. Once there they found the shuttle by almost landing on it as the cloaking device was still on. A quick search of the craft turned up neither of the missing paladins. "They could have found accommodation instead of staying in the shuttle. But how will we find them if that's the case?" Lance lamented. Keith had an idea, "Allura, could you send me the location information of the last message sent by Shiro?" Allura responded "I'm sending it to you right now". The location Allura sent turned out to be a seedy bar. Keith's respect for Shiro was steadily declining. "He took her to a bar, Lance!" Things weren't looking so great; they weren't at the bar either but the bartender did recognise the picture of two of them. "Yeah I've seen them. They were here last night for the slave auction but they left as soon as it ended. The little one pulled the big guy out of here in a hurry. And I haven't seen them since."

Slave auction? Why would they attend a slave auction? Keith tried to put himself in Shiro's position, what would he do if he saw something bad happening right in front of him? He'd do something about it wouldn't he? But it was stupid and reckless to go without back up, why would Shiro take that kind of risk? "Hey Mr Bartender, do you know if those auction guys are still in town?" Lance asked mirroring Keith's thoughts. "Nope they probably left by now, but all merchant vessels coming and going usually check a flight plan with the Galra base just outside the city. Wouldn't want to be mistaken for the Resistance you know". "Ha-ha-ha, of course not." Lance replied nervously.

"Argh! None of this makes any sense!" Keith exclaimed as he and Lance walked out of the bar. Lance turned to Keith "So what do we do now? Should we look around some more or head back to the Castle? Coran and Allura must be waiting for us to report back." Keith closed his eyes to focus for a minute. He wasn't the type to make detailed plans, he usually just followed his instincts and right now they told him Shiro and Pidge were in trouble and it might have something to do with this slave auction. "Contact Coran and Allura. Tell them Shiro and Pidge as still missing and also tell them to ready the Castle and the other Lions. We're taking that Galra outpost." Now it was Lance's turn to be surprised "What! We're going to attack the base. Why?". Keith wondered if Lance would have questioned his order if Shiro had given it? "It's just a hunch but I think that slave auction has something to do with Shiro and Pidge's disappearance and the only people who know where it went are the Galra on that base. I don't know about you but I don't think they'll tell us if we just ask nicely. I can't waste time explaining every single detail to you!" Keith didn't intend that to come out has harshly as it did. "Alright, let's get back to Red and explain the situation to the others. It's going to be okay man. We'll find them." Lance encouraged. "Also I forgive you, for snapping at me. This is a stressful situation for all of us but I fully expect you to make it up to me later…" Lance gave him a wink and a smile as he led the way back to the Lion.

The attack on the base didn't last very long even with only three Lions. Just as their intel suggested the base was only manned by a small unit of mainly technical staff and a troop of Galra droids. With a little persuasion and Keith's Bayard they managed to get the flight register for the last few days of incoming and outgoing ships. Hunk pointed to a particular entry on the list. "This one has prisoners and/or slaves listed under cargo." "Great work Hunk, what was listed as its next destination" Keith responded. Hunks faced dropped as he read the next part of the manifest. "It says here that the ship came from a Galra prison colony and its headed to the Galra Arena space station orbiting the Central Command System. That's in the middle of the Galra empire isn't it?" All of the paladin's present shared a look of disbelief. This was the worst possible situation. Keith's heart was racing; how could they even attempt a rescue in the heart of the enemy's territory when they couldn't even form Voltron. They needed to formulate a real plan, he only hoped that Shiro and Pidge could hold on until they could come up with one.


End file.
